Fire Emblem: Vortex
by Darth Kokkinos
Summary: In a distant land, an ancient evil is about to be unleashed. A young warrior prince and his small band of fighters must work together to save the world they love. But, this war is not as black and white as it initially seems...there are always complications, in both love and war. Don't judge my summaries, judge my story. I know my summaries kinda suck.
1. Prologue: A Gathering Storm

**Welcome one and welcome all to my first Fire Emblem story! Before you start reading, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this. It may not be great at first, but please review and tell me what I can improve. It would mean a lot. :)**

**Fire Emblem: Vortex**

_In a diverse land, far away from our own, a land where kings and knights still reign, a land where magic is practiced and encouraged, a land where peace and war come change almost from year to year, a land of immeasurable beauty, a land where legends are alive…in this land, an unspeakable darkness is about to rise._

_This land is the continent of Tonepta. On this continent lie seven individual and diverse kingdoms. In the far northeast lies Vaslei, the warrior kingdom._

_In the waters east of Vaslei is Eiri, the kingdom of pegasi._

_To Vaslei's west and southwest is Skion, the dark monarchy._

_In the southeast lies Fosma, the kingdom of magic._

_In the southwest is Chysni, a small kingdom mostly closed to the world._

_North of Chysni is Thiekos, a theocracy of knights and bishops. _

_And, in the center of all these countries is Ektase, the largest on the continent and the country with the largest military. Ektase is a long standing ally of Skion._

_This continent has been very war torn in the past. Skion and Vaslei in particular have been to war many times. While only one of these wars has been particularly devastating, many of them have been major and caused damage to the whole continent. The one about to be unleashed on the continent, however, will be the worst yet._

_It is the year 705, only nine years since the last war between Vaslei and Skion has ended. Without warning, Skion invades Vaslei, overwhelming her outlying provinces in weeks. As the cavalry and knights lose momentum, Ektase joins the war, according to their agreement with Skion. Wyverns flood the skies of Vaslei, and, week by week, Vaslei loses more ground. It is only a matter of time before they reach the palace and Vaslei falls…_

Prologue: A Gathering Storm

The armies of Skion and Ektase were on the move. The black armor of Skion and red of Ektase made for a fearful combination as they marched. The sunlight glinted powerfully off of their armor, but soon, night would fall. The combined might of these armies had conquered almost all of Vaslei, and now, they were but a matter of miles from the castle. News of this had spread to all corners of the kingdom, and, as they lost more ground, the Vasleians also lost their hope. Morale was sinking quickly.

Jayden, prince of Vaslei, pondered all of this as he stood in the southwestern tower of Castle Vaslei. He knew that it was unlikely that they would be able to hold out in a siege, but that would not stop him from fighting. He would join forces with his people to fight their enemy, and hopefully, in doing so, he would buy his older sister, Reyna, some time to escape. Unfortunately, there could be no guarantee that she would escape.

Jayden looked around and jumped. He had not heard his paladin, Timothy, come into the tower. Timothy was a young man, around the age of 25, who had quickly made his way up through the ranks of the Vasleian knights. That he had been granted the rank of paladin at such a young age was nothing short of extraordinary. He had brown hair and green eyes, and he always stood out due to his golden armor. He always bore a steel sword and a steel lance.

Timothy was also a normally cheerful man, but not so this evening. His face was set in a stony frown, and his manner was very grim. He was absolutely silent except for his slow, repetitive breathing.

"Timothy," Jayden started. "Why are you up here? Shouldn't you be preparing for the upcoming battle?"

Timothy smiled slightly and shook his head. "Nay, my prince. Your father, the king has assigned me…other duties. I will not be a member of the battle at the castle."

Jayden cocked his head slightly. That was strange. Timothy was not only one of the best warriors in the kingdom; he was also Jayden's personal paladin. If Jayden was to be fighting in the battle, surely Timothy would be fighting alongside him.

"But, Timothy, I will be fighting in the battle. Wouldn't Fath…I mean, the king have you fight with me? You know, because you are my paladin?" Jayden asked Timothy, very confused.

Again, Timothy shook his head and smiled. "Again, you are wrong, Prince Jayden. You will not be fighting in this battle either."

Jayden blinked and he felt his mouth drop open. This was outrageous! Of course he would be fighting in the battle! He had to protect Vaslei! "What do you mean,' I will not be fighting in this battle'? Of course I will be! I have to help defend Vaslei!"

Timothy's face was grim. "That is also how I originally felt when I learned of the king's plan," he replied. "However, I now agree that the safety of your sister and yourself is much more important than the safety of the castle."

"You see, King Rallius has made up his mind that the castle will fall. He has resigned himself to this belief and refuses to be deterred from it. While it is possible that we can hold out, it is highly unlikely. So the king has commanded that you and your sister be secretly transported away from the palace during the battle. If we move during the chaos of the battle, it is likely that we will be able to escape unnoticed."

Jayden slowly nodded as he contemplated this. He mentally slapped himself as he thought of his stupidity. His individual pride did not matter nearly as much as ensuring the survival of the bloodline of Vaslei. He said, "Ok, I understand the plan. But…might I ask where my sister and I will escape to?"

Timothy nodded. "Of course. Your sister, along with her bodyguard, will be leaving half an hour after sunset and move to the east, towards the port of Saline and, once they are able to find a boat, they will sail for Fosma, the only country that has openly allied itself with us."

Jayden considered this and found it to be agreeable. He knew both General Leonard and General Gunther personally. They were both trustworthy and friendly men, and he more than trusted them with his sister's life. Along with Timothy, they were in all probability the greatest knights in the kingdom.

He swallowed slightly before continuing. "However…we have a much more difficult road ahead of us."

"We will leave about ten minutes after your sister does, and we will head to the south-southwest," Timothy explained. Jayden gulped; he could already almost tell where this was going. "We will pass through the countryside of Vaslei, possibly visiting a couple of towns to restock, and then we will reach Skion. We will pass through about twenty miles of Skion, and then we will also reach Fosma. Once in Fosma, we should be safe. Queen Rena has sworn to give us asylum in her land."

Jayden shuddered. He would not like to pass through Skion under normal circumstances, and these were certainly not normal circumstances. If he were caught…he decided not to think about that. It would more than likely be a fate worse than death.

"We leave in an hour," Timothy stated, before turning and walking down the stairs, leaving Jayden to think on his own.

XXX

The corridors of Castle Vaslei were surprisingly silent as Jayden paced them. Despite the upcoming battle, there was very little movement within the castle. The soldiers were all forming up outside, the catapults and ballistae were being prepared between the outer and inner walls, and villagers were locked up in their homes. The only people moving about besides Jayden were guards who worked in the palace or the occasional frightened noble, seeking guidance from the king or another.

Jayden had sent one of the guards to fetch Reyna so that he could speak with her one last time before they parted ways. _I will see her again_, he mentally assured himself. _We will both be going to Fosma. We will be there in a couple of weeks. We aren't going to die. We will make it. We have to._

Suddenly, a voice said, "Jayden." Jayden spun on his heel to see his sister Reyna. Reyna was 22, three years older than Jayden. She had dark blue hair like Jayden and brown eyes. She was thin and medium height, just shorter than Jayden.

"Sister," Jayden whispered and embraced him. She hugged him back. They stood there for a moment and then broke apart. "I take it you have heard the plans for our departure?"

Reyna nodded. "Yes, brother. If it were possible, I would wish that we could go together but…reason prevails. As it is, even if one of us does not make it, the other likely will. And that way, we can ensure Vaslei's survival," she stated, speaking rather quietly.

"Don't speak like that!" Jayden shouted, breaking the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of this part of the castle. "That won't happen! It can't! We will make it!"

Reyna sighed and looked away, gazing out the window. The sun was setting, and the Skion-Ektase army was only a matter of minutes from the castle. It was a grim sight. She said, almost in a whisper, "I wish I could share your convictions, brother. I hope with all of my heart that we will see each other again…I am just not sure it is possible."

Jayden sighed. He continued, saying, "I know. Our situation is dangerous. But we will make it. We have to." He tried to keep a tremble out of his voice, but failed.

Reyna turned to look at him again and smiled slightly. He might have been a warrior prince of nineteen years, but to her, he would always still be her baby brother. She hugged him again and kissed his forehead. "Brother…even if we don't make it, I'll always love you. Don't forget it." Then she turned and walked away. Jayden thought that this all felt too much like goodbye.

XXX

Jayden had just seen his sister and her bodyguard depart, headed to the northeast and Port Saline. He silently said a prayer for them and then moved on. He knew Timothy was in all likelihood already waiting for him in the stables, and so he had to get there. He did not want to be late, so he took off at a jog.

As he quickly moved towards his destination, he could see that the invaders were now extremely close. In fact, they were almost in range of the catapults.

As if in answer to Jayden's thoughts, the three largest, longest-range catapults that were set up just next to the castle opened fire. Boulders from the three flew through the air, and Jayden stopped to watch. In a matter of seconds, they had reached their target, and they smashed into the invading army, crushing troops and siege tools. Jayden made a mental note that, if he had to die, a catapult was likely preferable. It would be a quick and likely relatively painless death.

The catapults were effective for taking out the combined ground armies of Skion and Ektase, but they rarely did any damage to flying legions, such as the wyvern divisions that Ektase had sent into the battle. Fortunately, the Vasleian defense was also outfitted for wyvern killing, and, when the wyverns were in range, the ballistae began to open fire, sending their huge bolts at the wyverns, tearing off wings, piercing through hides, or even sometimes taking the rider off of their mount.

Jayden had only paused a moment, but he kept watching the battle. As he did, he suddenly ran into someone and nearly fell down. "Oh, I'm sorry milord," Timothy apologized. "I did not see you there, but I was just looking for you. We need to go now." Jayden nodded, and again they took off at a brisk pace.

XXX

The sun was now far below the horizon, and it was getting darker and darker every minute. As such, both the attackers and defenders were lighting torches, though the defenders likely needed them more, because they had to carefully aim to strike the attacking army, while the attackers were aiming at a singular, massive target.

The black armored man smiled slightly. The war was going well. Soon, it would likely engulf the entire continent. This would please his master. This would bring about the means necessary for the awakening. He began to laugh, slowly at first, then growing to a loud, almost maniacal laugh. The end was near.

XXX

Finally, Jayden and Timothy could be on their way. They set out as the battle rose to a crescendo all around them, as the invading armies lost more and more troops but slowly pressed to the outer walls of the castle. Jayden started to fear for his mother and father, who were still in the castle. He hoped that they would be okay.

As they moved along, Timothy began to explain the finer details of the plan to him. They were going to have a rendezvous with a few other Vasleian knights in an area just southwest of Castle Vaslei, called the Velde Fields. However, they had a long ride ahead of them. Timothy informed Jayden that they would be lucky to make it before the middle of the night, and that was only if there were no disturbances in their path.

After Timothy finished explaining, the two men rode along in silence, a silence that Jayden was grateful for. He needed time to think about all this. This war had come on so suddenly. Jayden could even remember the last war between Vaslei and Skion, dubbed the Fifth Border War. He was just a child, but he still saw his father fighting alongside the Vasleian army, taking back miles of territory that had been taken. He could still remember the fear he felt. And he knew, as long as he lived, that he would never forget when his father returned, bloody and scarred, but victorious. It was an example that Jayden himself desired to live up to.

Suddenly, there came a yell from nearby, and Jayden spun around, instantly drawing his lance. Timothy already had his sword out, pointed in the direction that the yell had come from. Jayden wondered what-or who-it was. The two of them remained there, dead silent except for their heavy breathing, weapons pointed at the bush where the yell seemed to have come from. Out of the corner of his eye, Jayden saw movement, and he shouted, "Timothy!" but it was too late. While they were looking away, a dozen or so axe users had appeared in front of them, completely blocking their way. A devilish chuckle rose from several of the brigands, and they formed a ring around the two mounted men. They were surrounded.

Both Jayden and Timothy silently cursed themselves. They wondered how they could have become so careless at this time. But now, that did not matter. They would have to fight.

Timothy nodded at Jayden, and then they charged, Jayden to the back of the group with his lance and Timothy towards the front, still mounted on top of his horse.

The first bandit that Jayden came up to laughed. "Hey, you're just a boy!" he taunted Jayden. Jayden did not respond, but made a quick feint with his lance and then instantly reversed it, driving the sharp spearhead into the man's stomach.

"Yeah, I'm just a boy. A boy, who can take you all apart," Jayden coldly told the man. Two more brigands tried to surround Jayden, but he smashed the end of the pole of the lance into one man's open chest, and then sliced the other across his chest. As the second brigand regained his breath and attacked again, Jayden disarmed him and then whipped the pole of his lance across the man's face, knocking him out for a good long while.

Timothy was also easily holding his own. Had he been fighting a dozen Skionian knights or Ektasian wyvern riders on his own, he might have been in danger. However, these men were far below the skill level of even newly recruited knights. In addition, Timothy was fighting alongside Prince Jayden, who was a very capable warrior in himself and also likely more than able to handle many of these men.

Timothy brought his sword across one man's neck, and then stabbed another through the chest. By now, only a few of the original group of brigands were remaining. Jayden had finished off four, and now he joined Timothy on the other side of the ring that the brigands had formed around the two of them.

Finally, only the leader of the group remained. He had an iron axe, just like his men, but he looked to be a slight bit stronger than the rest of them. As Jayden and Timothy advanced on him, he muttered, "Not bad for a little lordling…Hmm…"

Timothy charged ahead, spinning his steel sword and bringing it down towards the man's head. The brigand deflected the strike with his axe and took a savage swipe at Timothy, who made his horse gallop out of the way. The brigand stupidly pursued Timothy, which left him open to attack from Jayden. Jayden spun his lance and then drove it directly into the back of the man's skull. He would be dead in seconds. The bandit leader had no last words, save a groan of pain. Jayden sighed. If this was what war was like, he hoped it would end soon.

XXX

"I am glad that we made it out alive, though, granted, it was not very difficult to, but…" Timothy started, before looking off into space, unsure whether or not he should continue.

Jayden rode silently for a moment before asking, "But…what? What is concerning you, Sir Timothy?"

Timothy did not mean his eyes, and nor did he answer for a moment. When he did, his voice was low. "When we engaged him in battle, he said, 'Not bad for a little lordling'. Which would likely mean that he knew that you were the prince of Vaslei, and that he knew that we were fleeing." He paused for a moment to let the news sink in. "We can only hope that this man was part of a group of bandits, and not a member of the Skionian or Ektasian army. If he is…we may be in for a very rough road ahead of us."

Jayden nodded, his eyes fixated on the road in front of them. "Then we must press on. To the Velde Fields! Hyaa!" He whipped the reins on his horse and they took off at a gallop, headed for the fields. A small smile crept onto Timothy's face, and, without a word, he followed, steeling himself for whatever might lay ahead…

**What do you think about this so far? Please review and give me ideas on what to do if you have some. Thanks again for reading.**

**Darth Kokkinos, Signing Off**


	2. Chapter 1: Flight of Few

**Hey everybody, I'm back with Chapter 1 of Vortex. Just thought that I would let you know that if you are interested in submitting an OC, I would be willing to accept a FEW as of right now. Yes, a FEW. And they need to be in by...ehh, screw that for now. But if you are interested in giving me one, I would love to look at it and consider using it in my story. Also, thanks for reading once again. I know, I know, the beginning of any FE is kinda slow, especially the one I am basing this story off of (see if you can guess ;)).**

**In addition, since you may be wondering, I'm gonna tell you guys how all these places are pronounced since you may not have guessed. **

**Vaslei=Vaz-lay**

**Skion=Skee-on**

**Ektase=How it is spelled. Ek-tase**

**Fosma=Fohs-ma**

**Eiri=Ee-ri**

**Chysni=Chys-nee**

**Theikos=Thee-kos**

**Hopefully that clears up any questions about pronunciation (if you had them).**

**Also, thanks to Mark-Kris Robin for your review of the prologue. I was really glad to see it and glad that you enjoyed it so far. See you at the bottom!**

_Skion and Ektase have invaded Vaslei. In a matter of weeks, they reached the capital. As their armies approached, the two royal heirs, Prince Jayden and Princess Reyna, fled in different directions, Reyna to the sea in the east and Jayden to the south, towards Skion. _

_Jayden and his paladin, Timothy, were attacked by bandits on their way out of the capital. They easily defeat them, but this attack makes them worry about others. And, in his heart, Jayden is worried about what might befall his sister Reyna. However, he steels himself to face whatever may come his way…_

Chapter 1: Flight of Few

It had been about three hours since the attack of the 'bandits' on Jayden and Timothy. Now, still, the men were riding through the night. Jayden wondered how much longer he could keep going. Despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he had to remind himself to stay awake about once every five minutes. Even now, he barely fought back a yawn and spurred his horse on.

Timothy had taken note of the subtle signs of Jayden's exhaustion: the cloudy eyes, staring straight ahead, and the like. Fortunately, they were not far from their destination. "Don't worry, my prince," he assured Jayden. "There will be plenty of time for your beauty sleep in just a little while."

Jayden grinned slightly at the comment. "Does that mean we are almost there?" Timothy nodded. Jayden sighed contentedly and forced himself to stay awake and alert for these last several hours.

XXX

It was not long at all afterwards that the two men saw a campfire off in the distance. "Would that be it?" Jayden asked his paladin.

Timothy squinted. He counted three figures around the fire, which was how many knights were supposed to be there, but he could not be sure. "It seems likely that these are the other knights, but at this distance, I cannot tell exactly. Let's get closer."

They did so, and within moments, they could tell that the figures were in fact the knights with which they were going to rendezvous. Jayden was able to tell who the three people were as well.

The first was a rather young student of Timothy whose name was Raymond. Raymond was a cavalier with black hair and sky blue armor. His weapons of choice were an iron sword and a javelin. Raymond was also one of the members of Jayden's personal bodyguard, along with Timothy and the two others here.

The second knight was an armor knight whose name was Matthias. Matthias was a grim and quiet man, but he was strong, had a good build, and he always did his best in whatever he was doing, especially in war. Matthias's weapons were two lances, one steel and one iron. He had dark blonde hair and stony gray eyes.

The final person by the campfire was a female archer. Her name was Courtney. Courtney was formerly a captain of an archer brigade before she was selected to be a part of Jayden's personal bodyguard. She had shoulder-length red hair and brown eyes, along with light, pink armor.

"Sir Timothy!" Raymond cried when he spotted his teacher. "And…Prince Jayden is with him as well!" The other two Vasleians immediately rose up to greet the two newcomers.

Once they had greeted each other and placed all of their equipment in the spot that they chose, the five of them settled around the campfire. They both told tales of how they arrived at this destination, of how Timothy had sliced down nearly ten bandits in barely a minute or of how Courtney took down a whole Skionian squadron by herself, or anything else like this.

Finally, Matthias realized how late it was getting. "Well, I know that we all have more tales to tell, but I believe that they will have to wait. It is getting very late, and I know that we need to be up early tomorrow." Everyone else mumbled their agreement, and Matthias asked, "Who will take first watch?"

"I will, Sir Matthias," Raymond almost immediately volunteered. Jayden and Courtney both thanked him for that, and Matthias and Timothy gave a nod of approval. So Raymond set off some twenty yards from camp, while all the others curled up in their sleeping bags to get some much needed rest. But Jayden, try as he might, could not get to sleep. He was too worried about the rest of his family and what might befall them-or what might have already befallen them. Again, he whispered a prayer and, after what seemed like eternity, he finally sank into the realm of sleep.

XXX

When Timothy woke him for his turn on the watch, Jayden was exhausted. He hated having the middle watch; it usually allowed for the least sleep to be had. On top of Jayden's already immense stress, he was not sure that he would be able to keep awake for the entire watch.

Rather slowly, he moved over to a bush which would serve as a good spot to watch from, it was slightly elevated over the rest of the ground, and the bush was thick but the branches were somewhat spread apart, giving Jayden at least a little bit of room to maneuver around. It wasn't much, but at least it was not completely uncomfortable.

Jayden sighed as he looked around. He wanted to devote some time to thinking, but when on watch, one could never do that. A brief moment of being lost in thought could cause someone to miss a movement. Looking away could too. A slight lapse in judgment on his part could mean the death of them all. He currently had no idea at all whether or not they were being pursued by Skion and Ektase, or even if the two countries knew where he was fleeing. He could only hope that they did not.

As the night wore on, Jayden could not help but wonder about these things. For the millionth time, he worried about his parents, and for the ten millionth time, he worried about his sister. But he had received no word on their condition so far, and he did not expect to receive any in the near future. Even if a messenger could get through the enemy armies, essentially no one besides his bodyguard and his family knew Jayden's escape route.

Finally, just before the moon set, Jayden realized that his watch was over. Grunting slightly at the stiffness that he felt when he stood up, he briskly walked over to where Matthias slept, woke him, and then returned to his own sleeping area, shortly before falling into a deep sleep.

XXX

The next morning, Jayden had a rather rude awakening, as he found Raymond shaking him and shouting, "Prince Jayden, you must wake up! Now!"

_Surely I haven't overslept THAT long_, Jayden thought to himself. Slowly, he opened his eyes and pulled himself to his feet. Now, finally, he realized why Raymond had been trying so hard to wake him up.

Across the meadow from them was a group of twelve to fifteen bandits, led by a sword-wielding man of the mercenary class. These men were obviously not part of a Skionian or Ektasian army, but they were also definitely out for blood.

Adding to the disadvantage that the Vasleians were at was the fact that neither Courtney nor Matthias was anywhere to be seen. "Where did those two go?" Jayden muttered to himself, hoping that they were okay but fearing the worst.

Raymond heard Jayden's question, and he replied, "They went scouting after they thought that they had seen the attackers. However, we have not seen them since they left, and we are therefore unsure as to whether or not they are okay." Jayden nodded. This could have been worse, but he still wished they were here. He liked 3 to 1 odds better than 5 to 1 odds.

Suddenly, from across the field, the mercenary shouted, "You all have one chance to give us all of your supplies and weapons, or we'll be forced to take them by force. And trust me, that won't be pretty," he finished with a smirk.

Jayden, ever the vocal one and the competitor, responded, "That is very true. This will not at all be pretty…for you." With that, he drew his lance and taunted the bandits. "Your move," he told them.

The mercenary could not help smiling. This kid had spunk. "Very well. I'm sorry that you have to die, kid. But we need your stuff. So say good-bye." As he finished, he drew his sword and pointed it at the three Vasleians. "You know what to do," he told his men. They charged.

Raymond and Timothy tried to form a wall to protect Jayden, but he would not allow it. If he were to die today, then he was going to die fighting alongside his comrades, serving his country. He would not let any other deaths go in vain.

As the first few bandits reached the three of them, they were quickly slaughtered or injured. The next group was more cautious, preferring to throw hand axes or even not attack at all. However, unfortunately for them, the few hand axes that even came close to their targets were easily deflected by Timothy's shield, and that was when the Vasleians took the offensive.

XXX

Matthias and Courtney had had no luck with finding the bandits so far, so they were on their way back to camp, hoping to be of use there. As they went back, they heard a commotion, and so they quickened their pace.

"Think that could be our bandits?" Courtney asked as they ran, referring to the bandits that they believed that they had seen.

Matthias gave her a small shrug. "I'm not sure, but we did suspect that we were being followed, and your guess is as good as mine." As soon as he said that, they burst through the trees and into the clearing.

Sure enough, there were the bandits, and fighting them were Jayden, Timothy and Raymond. "Follow me," Matthias told Courtney, and she did so, silently nocking an arrow as they stealthily moved through the grass.

Matthias held up a hand in front of her, signaling for them to stop. The apparent leader of the bandits was just ten yards away. Courtney could easily put an arrow right through his skull from this distance. But Matthias had other ideas.

"I will charge him and distract him. Once he is fighting me and you have an arrow ready, whistle. That will be the signal for me to move away. Understood?" Matthias instructed. Courtney nodded at him. Matthias smiled slightly, which was a rarity for him, and then he approached the bandit leader.

Matthias was almost in lance range of the man when he finally turned around and spotted him. The mercenary jumped, but then regained his composure and gripped his sword, ready for combat. "I am the feared mercenary, Aden!" he stated cockily.

Matthias remained as grim as ever. "I care not for your title or your reputation. I only care whether you can fight. That is all."

Aden's mouth dropped open. "Eh? You don't know me. Well then maybe I oughta teach you why people fear me!" With the last word, he jumped into the air, performing a somersault before bringing his iron sword down on Matthias. Matthias easily deflected the man's blow, and he knew that, if he so chose, he could finish him without any help from Courtney. But that was not his intention. When the man struck again, Matthias again deflected it, and when Aden reversed his sword for another strike, while he did land, Matthias knew that in all likelihood, it barely left a scratch on his thick armor.

Just then, he heard Courtney whistle. He shoved Aden backwards, knocking the mercenary off balance but not onto the ground, and then took a step back himself. Aden looked at him in surprise, but he could not react. At just that moment, Courtney's arrow struck him, right in the forehead, and lodged itself there like a horn.

Realizing that his death was likely imminent, Aden cried, "Nooo! You cannot kill me! I…am…Aden…" Then he slumped forward, without another word, and died.

Turning, Matthias saw that the battle was not over, although, given the way the Vasleians performed when compared with the bandits, it might as well have been. As Matthias ran to engage the few remaining bandits, he called over his shoulder to Courtney, "Good work!" She smiled and followed him.

XXX

The remainder of the battle took only a couple of minutes, and the Vasleian knights were hardly worse for wear. Raymond had a slight injury to his leg, but it was nothing that a vulnerary could not fix. Besides that, the group was largely unaffected when one did not consider their exhaustion.

Fortunately for them, the bandits did have some extra supplies such as food, water and a vulnerary or two. These would likely be much needed supplies on the road ahead, and while a few extras might weigh them down now, they would never hurt in the long run. Especially once they entered the hostile land of Skion.

"So, Timothy… where is our next destination going to be?" Jayden asked casually as they started the southward trek again.

Timothy turned and reached into his bag for a moment, looking for something. When he found it, Jayden could clearly see that the item was a map, complete with the escape route charted for them by the king. "It appears that we are going to go to the village of Corio next, a small town that is about fifteen miles south of here. It may very well not be occupied, given its tiny size."

Jayden nodded contentedly. He was thankful for what his father had done for them, showing them possibly the safest land route to Fosma. His father was a wonderful man, and once he died, he would surely become a saint in heaven. For now, though, Jayden only hoped that that day would be far in the future. He could never know how far it would be, though.

XXX

_Meanwhile, near Port Saline…_

Reyna and her two top bodyguards, Leonard and Gunther, were slowly pushing to the east, all the time taking much care to avoid any Skionians or Ektasians that they saw. They were but a mile from the port town, and if they could reach it, their safety was essentially guaranteed.

The only largely concerning fact was that they had sent the rest of their bodyguard off to scout the surrounding area and ensure that no one discovered them. Even the paladin, Coryn had not been seen, and he was a very strong man who would not be easily overcome. Despite this, the three of them knew that they could waste no time in getting to Port Saline and boarding a boat.

They were so close. But they did not make it in time. Mysteriously, a spell of dark energy hit Gunther. Despite his efforts to resist it, resistance had never been Gunther's strong suit; he preferred to focus on strength and speed. After just a few seconds, the hero collapsed and fell unconscious.

Reyna immediately grabbed her Restore staff to try and heal him, but another spell hit it and knocked it from her hand. She cried out in fear as the pole of a spear struck Leonard in the back of the helmet, knocking him out. Reyna wondered how this could have happened, and how the three of them could have been so careless about this. No one had known about this outside of her bodyguard and the royal family.

Then, the pole of the spear struck her in the back of the head as well. As she began to lose consciousness, she turned to look at the person who had attacked her. Gasping, she saw that it was Coryn. The paladin was a traitor. He grinned and said, "Sweet dreams, Princess Reyna."

The last thing she said before blacking out was, "Curse you, traitor." Then, there was only darkness.

"Very good," the shaman who was working alongside Coryn commented. "That was surprisingly easy and painless. Why, the grunts didn't even have to do anything."

Coryn nodded. "Indeed. Now come on, Nicolai. We'd best take these people away and get them to Ektase. The Silver General will be very pleased with us." Nicolai grinned at the thought as their soldiers dragged the three unconscious bodies off.

Soon, he would have power. Sweet, sweet power.

**How was it? Good? Bad? In between? Let me know with a review and I may take your idea. Thanks again for reading and I'll see you guys next time in Fire Emblem: Vortex. It will be Chapter 2: On The Road.**


	3. Chapter 2: On The Road

**Hey guys I'm back with Chapter 2 of Fire Emblem Vortex, On The Road. In this chapter we...well, you'll see. It's not great at first, but I think it finishes pretty decently. :D Haha have fun reading. Also remember that I am willing to accept a few OCs for this story so go ahead and submit one if you want to.**

**Thanks to Mark-Kris Robin and noob7 for their reviews.**

_After the attack by the bandits, Jayden leads his soldiers to the nearby village of Corio. Corio is a small town in central Vaslei, so small that, according to Timothy, it is likely that Skion and Ektase did not take it during their initial invasion. Jayden cannot be sure if this is true, but he hopes that it is. As they near the village, they can only wonder what occurrences will take place there…_

Chapter 2: On the Road

It was almost midday when Jayden and his small band of warriors reached their destination, the village of Corio. Corio was a very small town located almost in the exact heart of the Vasleian country. It had almost no defenses, save a wooden wall and a small mercenary force. Jayden had never realized how small some of these country villages really were until he saw this one.

As they rode/walked up to the gate, a soldier in light armor called, "Halt! State your name and business here!" Jayden smiled. If only this man knew.

"As you were, soldier," Timothy commanded. "I am General Timothy, paladin of Prince Jayden. His Highness is here, and we are accompanied by three other Vasleian knights. Our business is finding some place to stay on our way to Fosma."

The soldier was stunned for a moment, before remembering proper courtesy. "Uh…Your Majesty, Sir Timothy…I'm sorry, I didn't realize." Jayden waved his hand dismissively, as if to say, 'it was nothing'. "We would be more than pleased to provide you with food and shelter, Your Highness but…rumor has it that Skion has taken the palace and …"

Jayden did not register anything after he heard that news. _The palace has fallen…Mother and Father are either dead or imprisoned…_He couldn't bear this. This couldn't be happening to him. "…so you'd best be getting a move on from 'ere quick, before the invaders come back," the soldier finished.

Unsure of whether or not he wanted to ask about his parents, Jayden bit his tongue, wondering if he was going to or not. He felt the war waging in his mind, and finally, curiosity prevailed. "Excuse me, soldier. Have you heard anything of the King?"

The soldier's face fell slightly. "Your Highness…I regret to inform you that, according to my knowledge, the King is dead. As is the Queen." Jayden's lowered his gaze to the ground, unable to look anyone in the eye. So it was true. It was all over.

"Alright everyone," he said to his knights, still not looking at them. "Let's go."

XXX

It was not long afterwards that the group of knights found a suitable inn, named 'The Red Hawk'. It was a relatively high-class but cheap inn. The only downside was that it was very popular and, as it was midday, also very crowded. As soon as he dropped his equipment off in his room, Jayden informed Timothy that he would be taking a walk, and then he headed out of the door of the inn.

A cool breeze washed over Jayden as he walked. It was a beautiful day outside. If only Jayden could bring himself to care. Right now, nothing could bring him out of this state of depression he was in. His parents were gone, and he did not have an answer for anything. He was unsure how he should press on, so he just kept walking through town, trying to avoid contact with others as much as possible.

A while later, Jayden contemplated heading back to the inn. He had been gone for quite a while, and he figured that the others might be worried about him, so he decided that now he should go back to the inn, at least for a little while.

On his way back, Jayden got the feeling that he was being watched. He did not know how he knew, but he had always had a sort of sixth sense for things like this. Whirling on his foot, he tried to see if there was anyone following him. But he saw no one. Either they were keeping very well hidden, or Jayden was just imagining things now. _Surely that is all it is. I'm in a bad mood; of course I am going to assume the worst_.

He was almost back to the inn when a suspicious looking figure approached him. The figure wore a black mask covering his entire face and a black cloak. Jayden's hand instinctively reached for his lance. This was likely the person that had been following him.

The figure called out to Jayden, "You! Yes, you there! Are you Prince Jayden of Vaslei?"

Jayden ignored him, but the man again called out, "Are you Prince Jayden of Vaslei?" There was a barely detectable scrape of steel on steel, which Jayden guessed was the man drawing a dagger or another weapon of some sorts.

Finally, Jayden turned to face the man, drawing his lance as he did. "And if I am?" he responded, his voice calm but obviously angry. The pain in his soul was obvious to anyone.

The man only smiled. "I know that you are. And I'm afraid it is time for you to die!"

Jayden's face hardened into an angry grimace. He took his lance and slashed at the man, who deftly dodged Jayden's attack and came right back with a strike from not one, but two knives. Jayden was able to block one with his lance, but the other came up and stabbed him through the shoulder.

Jayden cried out in pain, and the assassin grinned, attempting to seize his advantage. However, Jayden had mostly used that to lure the man into doing something foolish, which the man did. The assassin went airborne, and Jayden spun out of the way, before driving his lance into the man's back. Now the assassin screamed, and Jayden grabbed him by the collar of his cloak.

"Who are you, and who are you working for?" Jayden demanded. The man did not relent or react at all. "Do I need to repeat myself? WHO ARE YOU, AND WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?"

Again the man did not respond. Instead, he kicked Jayden in the stomach, which did not send Jayden flying, as he had hoped, but it did buy the assassin just enough time to do what he had been instructed to do had he failed in his mission. He uncorked a small vial that had been hidden inside of his jacket and drank the contents of the vial. The poison killed him in less than a minute.

Meanwhile, the man's partner, a Skionian general, left the area from which he had been watching. Soon enough, they would have both the prince and the princess of Vaslei.

XXX

Around sunset, Jayden and the others had a meeting with the leaders of the town's mercenary force. The two men were named Rhod and Vallys, Rhod being a mercenary and Vallys a myrmidon. Like everyone else, they were glad to see the royal party in their town; however, this did bring other concerns.

"You see," said Rhod, "our town has had troubles with bandits before. And as you can tell we have always been able to defeat them, though at times it hasn't been easy. However, if what you say is true, that Skion may be on the way to attack our town…" He paused for a moment. "I'm not sure we will be able to hold out against them. Even with the help of your group."

Silence hung over the room like a heavy cloud. They all knew that this was true. They had been relatively lucky so far, but if Skion were to actually discover them, the consequences would be catastrophic. Jayden refused to think about this for now.

Finally, Timothy broke the silence. "Sir Rhod, we are well aware of the truth of your statements. We want to avoid Skion finding us at all costs. That is why we do not plan to stay here for very long, because we know that every minute we spend here, we endanger you and the other people of this town. We plan to leave tomorrow morning, if that would be acceptable."

Rhod nodded at him. "Of course. Vallys and I, as well as all the other townspeople are thankful for your concern. We would be willing to shelter you all for longer if we thought that it were possible, but I am just not sure we can make it without being found out," he stated.

Suddenly, a terrified woman could be heard screaming, "Bandits! Bandits are attacking the town! Help, someone, please save us!"

"That doesn't sound good," Rhod remarked, before he rushed out of the room, followed quickly by Vallys and all the members of Jayden's party.

XXX

Jayden and his company stood at the gate to the town, making sure that the bandits did not get in. The bandits were scattered, but there were a good amount of them, maybe even thirty. Rhod and Vallys would be assisting them in fighting the bandits, while the other five members of their mercenary squad would be defending the town, ensuring that the bandits could do no damage to Corio. A moment later, the two swordsmen joined them, and the party of seven set off to fight the bandits.

The first group that rushed them consisted of five bandits moving in front of two archers, who peppered Jayden's group with arrows. However, the two archers were soon killed, as Courtney's iron –tipped arrows penetrated their skulls. The brigands rushed into the oncoming Vasleian lines, but Jayden, Matthias and Rhod had defeated them all in just a matter of seconds.

Unfortunately, while they were distracted, another group of the bandits had snuck up behind them, and they were only a matter of feet away from Courtney. Seeing this, Jayden screamed, "Courtney, look out!" Courtney immediately fell to the ground and, upon spotting the bandits, sent another pair of arrows into their ranks, as the melee fighters engaged the enemy group again.

"Thank you, my prince," Courtney told Jayden once they finished off that group of the brigands. Jayden only nodded. He still did not want to talk much now, but if there was one thing that he could still do, that thing was fight.

"Rhod, do you believe that these are the bandits that normally attack your town?" asked Timothy once they reached a break in the fighting.

Rhod shrugged. "I cannot be sure whether or not they are. These men are similarly weak to the others that attack the town, but…they seem to be more coordinated in their attacks. They do not attack as wildly and randomly as most bandits, and they also seem to have some decent tactics, such as utilizing archers and attacking from two sides at once. This may not mean anything, but anything is better than nothing," he told Timothy, who nodded his agreement. Timothy was beginning to lose faith that these men were only bandits.

Before they engaged the next group of bandits, they split off into groups: Jayden, Rhod and Vallys in one group, Matthias and Courtney in another, and Timothy and Raymond in the third group. That way, they could attack like a fork, with three 'tines' striking the enemy at different positions. Jayden, Rhod and Vallys were the first group to reach the final enemy line, which was just a group of ten bandits all lined up defending their leader and two others.

Jayden engaged one bandit, who instantly took an overhead swing at the prince. Jayden capitalized on the bandit's idiotic strike and put his lance head through the man's stomach. After pulling it out, Jayden saw to his dismay that three of the other bandits were surrounding him and he had been somewhat separated from Rhod and Vallys, who were both stuck dealing with bandits of their own. Jayden, becoming somewhat desperate, tried to stab one bandit in the foot and then use his momentum to vault over the bandit and rejoin his comrades.

Unfortunately, though he was able to stab the man in the foot, when he tried the vault, the lance pole snapped in half, causing Jayden to fall and land on his backside. The injured bandit went down, shrieking with pain as blood poured from his foot, but the other two seized their opportunity and attacked Jayden viciously.

The bandits were just about to kill him, when, out of nowhere, a tomahawk flew at them. It hit one right in the neck, severing his head from his body, while the other was shocked enough as he looked at his comrade that Jayden had a chance to recover. Jayden quickly disposed of the bandit, before running in the direction the tomahawk had come from.

XXX

All around Jayden, the battle was also raging fiercely. Metal clashed against metal, men went down, and the ground was soaked with blood. Rhod and Vallys were fighting side-by-side, and the strength, skill and speed of the men proved too much for the opposing bandits to handle. Even without all the others, Rhod and Vallys likely could have won this battle.

Finally, only the leader and his two archer henchmen remained. Vallys charged the first archer, sliding to avoid the arrow fired at him and then coming up and swiping the man across the legs. He immediately whirled to face the other archer, who was already about to fire his arrow. Vallys had no time to move, but, just before the arrow found his forehead, another arrow streaked into its path and sent it off target. Vallys realized that Courtney had just saved him. Seconds later, the similarly stunned archer was cut down by Raymond. The only man who remained standing for the bandits was their leader.

The man laughed as Rhod engaged him in single combat. "You mean to fight me?" the bandit leader exclaimed. "Ha! Such idiots as you amuse me!" Rhod said no words to him, but instead brought his blade up into a parrying position. The brigand brought his axe down on Rhod's blade, but Rhod easily deflected it, despite the immense weight of the man's steel axe. Rhod made a feint towards the man's head, and then smashed the bottom of his sword into the man's axe hand, causing him to drop it and cry out in pain.

The man, however, was only down, not out. He grabbed his axe and tried to smash it into Rhod's side. Rhod dodged the attack and leapt at the man, who was surprisingly already ready for Rhod's attack. Rhod cursed himself as he realized that this would result in a painful injury, at the very least. However, luckily for him, at the very last second, Raymond took a javelin and threw it at the bandit leader, stunning him momentarily. This allowed Rhod to recover, and he used the extra time Raymond had bought him very well. He reversed his sword and stabbed the man in the gut, drawing it out as cleanly as possible.

"Now…I see…why you fought…" the bandit breathed. Those were his last words before he died.

"Very good job, everyone," Timothy complimented them. Given that the odds had been about four to one, it had indeed been a very good battle. Most everyone was injured in some way, with the exception of Courtney, who did not fight in melee, and Timothy himself, who was…well, Timothy, nothing short of one of the most elite soldiers on the continent. Still, something felt wrong…

"Wait. Where is Prince Jayden?!" Timothy demanded, just now realizing that the prince had gone missing.

Vallys was the first to speak up a moment later. "I believe I saw him running off in the direction of those woods over there," he told the group.

"Then let's go!" shouted Timothy as he made his horse do a 180 degree turn. He led the way on the search for the prince.

XXX

Jayden lost track of time as he looked for the source of the tomahawk. He had a tendency to do that, especially when he was out and doing some sort of physical activity. He was well aware that the others might be worried about him, but he had to find out who had saved him.

Suddenly, he came through a clearing of the trees and saw a man, clad in black armor, standing with his back to Jayden. In his right, gloved hand, he held a tomahawk. In addition, an unstrung bow hung over his shoulder, and a lance and sword hung on his belt. Slowly, the man turned to face Jayden. A black helmet also completely covered his face.

"W-who are you?" asked Jayden, obviously intimidated by this man. He had never met him before, and he felt oddly assured that he would meet him again.

The man was silent for a moment. As far as Jayden could guess, the man was staring him down, but Jayden could not tell, given the very small size of the eye holes in the man's helmet. "That does not matter, Prince Jayden of Vaslei. My identity will be revealed to you soon enough."

Jayden frowned. "Well…if you won't tell me that, then at least tell me this." The mysterious man, who had been starting to walk away and again had his back to Jayden, paused, his golden cape swirling around him like a mist.

"Yes…"

"Why did you save me? Are you a friend of mine that I don't know about?" Jayden asked.

The man chuckled slightly, a deep sound. "Again, that is unimportant. My motivations belong to me and me alone. And as for your second question…I suppose you could call me a friend. Though if you knew who I really was, you would not consider me as a friend," he replied. Once again, he turned and walked away. His final words to Jayden were, "You may see me again. But be assured: I saved you once. If given the chance, I will not do it again." And with that, he was gone. Jayden could have never known that he had just met one of his greatest enemies…

**How was it? Also cliffhanger! :DDDDDI'll see you guys next time on Fire Emblem: Vortex! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Darth Kokkinos, Signing Off**


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